Iron palm

Iron Palm or Iron Hand is a body of training techniques in various Chinese martial arts. These techniques are typically meant to condition the hands and body to allow a practitioner to deliver very powerful blows without injury to his or her body.

Iron palm is a broad term, as there are various methods used to achieve these results. Martial artists who practice iron palm training are not unified in their training and techniques. Some teachers treat their iron palm methodology as a valuable secret, and only share their specific techniques, training methods, and herbal recipes with a select few.

Iron palm is not a martial arts style unto itself, but a general training concept common to many schools of Chinese martial arts. Some non-Chinese martial arts, such as Muay Thai and many schools of karate, also emphasize conditioning body parts used for striking; however, the term "iron palm" is not normally used to describe this training.

As a general rule, iron palm training involves three primary components. The first is to strengthen the striking limbs themselves. This can be achieved by repeatedly striking relatively hard objects enclosed in canvas/leather bags and treating the hands, usually with a medicinal aid created from plant derivatives. The benefits of some erroneous iron palm training exercises, such as intentionally breaking bones do nothing but weaken the original structure, and should be ignored.

The second component of iron palm training involves using proper technique in order to strike with more force. As in other martial arts, students learn specific body mechanics which are supposed to produce a more powerful strike. Most students will learn how to relax and rid the body of residual tension in order to move faster.

Other training will include how to move the body as one unit rather than a collection of unattached pieces. This is actually one of the "secrets" of internal training usually ignored by the external schools.

The third component is to engage in qigong exercises in order to develop one's qi. This training, done in conjunction with the physical training, is supposed to allow the practitioner to focus qi to improve mental focus in order to produce a more powerful strike. Some consider the mystical aspect of qi to be separate from mental focus.

Method

The exercises used in iron palm training are often divided into "internal" and "external" exercises. External exercises consist of striking hard surfaces using different hand positions depending on the trainee's particular style of kung fu. One common method uses bags or containers filled with beans; the trainee strikes the bags or thrusts his hands into the containers. As training progresses, the bags are filled with increasingly resistant substances such as sand, gravel, or steel shot. Trainees frequently measure their progress based upon how long it takes to perform a given number of strikes on the bag or the number of strikes they do in a particular training session, and the progression from one type of striking surface to another may take months or years.

Internal iron palm exercises usually consist of therapeutic and meditative exercises, often intended to offset the potential negative effects of external exercises. Massaging the hands with a special liniment called dit da jau is usually considered an essential component of iron palm training. The usage of dit da jau supposedly aids in preventing callus buildup, enhances blood flow and healing, provides nutrients for recovery, and removes dead skin and tissue. Many believe it draws qi into the hands as well. Trainees also usually follow their external training sessions with standing meditation, breathing exercises, and other qigong exercises. A common belief among trainees is that failing to apply dit da jau or to practice these breathing exercises after iron palm training sessions has negative effects on long-term health and psychological well-being.

Uses

Many systems of martial arts use a wide variety of open-hand strikes, and iron palm training is designed to condition the hands in order to prevent injury and make the techniques more effective. Hardening the hands is also supposed to make up for the loss of speed and strength which martial artists experience as they age.

Iron palm practitioners often demonstrate their abilities by breaking hard objects such as bricks and boards with their bare hands, a practice common to many styles of martial arts.

See also

• Iron shirt
• Video demonstrating training methods
• A current Chinese martial arts association that makes and sells Dit Da Jau and Iron Palm medicine and teaches Combat Iron Palm and Iron Vest
• Modern iron finger training techniques and periodized training